The Trabant (meaning: “companion”) is a little car that was produced in Eastern Germany during the years after the Second World War. It was the “poor man’s car” – it was something most people could afford, though waiting lists to get one were very long (up to 10 years!). It is a tiny car, can just about accommodate 4 people, doesn’t drive very fast and has the most adorable 2-stroke engine sound.

I have dreamt of a Trabi since I was on a summer holiday in Hungary when I was 17. Back then I didn’t have a driver’s license yet, and my father and I talked about traveling back to one of the Eastern European countries after I got my driver’s license, just to get me a car like that. It would be a fun project to work on restoring from scratch. Things don’t always go as planned however, so I didn’t get my Trabi until 15 years later, when I bought a newly restored one in Denmark.

This shawl is my tribute to my little Trabi – the very Trabant typical sky blue of the yarn combined with the lace that resembles the Trabi’s round headlights. Fun to knit, and a good combination of size and thickness to act as an extra layer when driving the little car!